The Democratic advocate., 1887-11-26
The Ruby and Sapphire.


Rubies and sapphires, under which
names the gems obtained from crystallized
clay are known to the world, are next to
the diamond in value, beauty and hardness.
and sometimes rivaling or even excelline il
in the two former properties. They are
almost all obtained from Peru. Burmab
and the island of Ceylon, a sinenlarly
limited region for what one might expect
would be much more widely distributed.
Like the diamond, they are obtained by
washing gravel and all the varieties are found
IN the same districts. These varieties in
clude the Oriental ruby, the Oriental san
phire, the opalescent ruby, the star ruby.
the green, yellow and white sapphires. and
the Oriental amethyst. Most Of these are
extremely rare, and the finest specimens. it
is stated, are still found in the East.
There is a useful mineral of extreme
hardness-the corumdum of commerce.
from which the hardest and finest emery il
obtained = which is an imperfect and
opaque erystallization of the same orioin
as the ruby and sapphire. The Gems
themselves are clear, though rarely color
less: Small specimens are much less yalu-
liable in proportion than larger sizes. for
they are far more abundant: but a perfect
ruby of tiye carats is worth twice as much
as diamond of the same weight, and one
OF ten carats three times as much.
The ruby was called by the Greeks
anthrax, or live coal, from its brilliant
blood red color and exquisite beauty, which.
like the diamond, is rather improved than
diminished when seen BY Artificial light.
From the intense blaze Gf blood red the
colors Of the ruby pale down, by admix,
lures of blue, through rose red to lilac
Exposed to the rays of the sun or heated.
the ruby, like the diamond becomes nbos,
phoric. In the Middle Ages Il was snn-
posed to be an antidOtc to poison and to
warn its owner of misfortune by darken.
ing of its color until the danger was nast
There is a very celebrated ruby in the
crown Of England. 1t was placed in its
natural shape-that of heart-and un-
polished. Its color is that of Morella
cherry and is semi-transparent. It was
brought from Spain by Edward the Rlack
Prince and was worn by the English King
at Agincourt. Other rubies of very large
size are recorded, but few of them are
polished and still fewer cut,
The sapphire IS an exquisite blue variety
OF the raby-soft, rich, velvety, and delicate
IN the extreme by day, but losing much of
Its beauty by artificial light, and even
sometimes changing its tint. Occasionally
1t sparkles with great vividness in the sun,
as star with distinct rays, but it is only
semi-transparent. There Isl violet variety.
called the Oriental amethyst, a gem Of
great rarity and beauty, which, owing 10
Its extreme hardness, takes very brilliant
polish.
Like the ruby, the sapphire was held by
the ancients and during the Middle Ages
In high honor. 1t was considered emble-
matte of purity. To look at one preserved
the eyesight; placed on the brow it stopped
hemorrhage The powder of sapphire was
considered sovereign remedy against the
plague and poison, and it was Jewish
superstition that the first tables of the law
given to Moses were Of this stone. It is
certain at any rate that both rubies and
sapphires We're long employed in the East
to eugraye upoI, Notwithstanding their
great hardness.